Region

on the SIDELINES

Women's track and field athletes will join their male counterparts at two separate competitions this weekend for one last try to qualify for the NCAA Champion-ships. Five Hoosiers are traveling to Iowa to compete in the Cyclone National Track & Field Qualifier at Iowa State.

Four teams 'tied' up in Big Ten

The only time in 96 years of basketball four teams tied for the Big Ten championship, was when Chicago went 4-8 in the league and Michigan State wasn't a member of the conference. It's been 76 years since IU, Purdue, Michigan and Iowa all tallied 8-4 league records on their way to sharing the title four ways.

1 LAST time

Two weeks ago, senior guard Dane Fife and the Hoosiers methodically picked apart Michigan to set up a game between IU and Ohio State, the then-top two teams in the Big Ten. Although the Hoosiers had to play without Jared Jeffries for much of the game against the Wolverines, IU was determined to get to the game with the Buckeyes tied at 9-4 in the conference. "We're fighting for a Big Ten championship," Fife said after the win in Ann Arbor. "That's something we haven't been able to say generally coming into Ann Arbor. This is a very special season for us. That's why we came in and played so hard and played so well."

Detainees protest

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- Incensed that two guards stripped a detainee of his turban during prayer, nearly two-thirds of the prisoners captured in the Afghan war refused lunch Thursday and chanted "God is great" in Arabic in their first mass protest since arriving at the base. In addition, some detainees pushed sheets, blankets, sleeping mats and other items through the small openings in the chain-link walls of their cells in protest, Marine Maj. Stephen Cox, the detention mission spokesman, told reporters.

Hindus respond to Muslim violence

AHMADABAD, India -- Angry Hindus set fire to homes in a Muslim neighborhood Thursday and then kept firefighters away for hours, dragging out one former lawmaker and burning him alive. At least 58 people died in revenge attacks triggered by a Muslim assault on a train.

Lung association to benefit from 'Smoke Out'

At a party at Sigma Pi fraternity tonight, a band will play a raucous set of songs. People will tap their feet and possibly begin dancing. And no one will be drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes. The party is Sigma Pi and Alpha Omicron Pi's "Smoke Out" philanthropy event benefiting the American Lung Association. Rich Hardesty and his band will play at the event, which gets underway at 10 p.m.

Leadership conference offers networking education

Approximately 150 students from IU and other universities throughout Indiana, Illinois and Michigan will participate in career networking and discuss current issues affecting Latinos Saturday at the third annual Indiana Latino Student Leadership Conference, sponsored by the La Casa Latino Cultural Center.

Unity Ride postponed

Cold weather and slick roads have delayed the first annual Jill Behrman Unity Ride, sponsored by Delta Upsilon. The ride, which was to take place this Saturday, has been postponed to March 30 in hopes of better weather. The noncompetitive ride follows a course through southern Bloomington, a favorite riding area of Jill's.

Acrobats provide spectacular show

I was absolutely positive he was going to kill himself. Balancing precariously atop a tower made from a tall platform, four wine bottles and seven chairs stacked on top of one another, the tiny man looked like he was perfectly comfortable standing on what was obviously a death trap. He was, of course, fine. He threw the chairs down to men waiting below and flipped to safety with a smug little grin on his face amid a standing ovation and riotous applause. Here's the best part: For the National Acrobats of Taiwan, R.O.C., this is just an ordinary day.

Around The Region

WESTVILLE, Ind. -- Locks in some of the most critical areas at the state's largest prison have been changed after the warden lost two master keys, leading officials to lift a partial lockdown.

Knight scheduled to return to Bloomington for book signing

It's not quite what hardcore Bob Knight fans had in mind, but The General will return to the home of the Hoosiers -- at least for a day. Knight will be in Bloomington April 7 to sign copies of his new book, "Knight: My Story," which is scheduled for nationwide release in late March.

Timeless tale with modern bonuses

Game designers deserve bodyslam

'Double Dragon' by way of the L.A. riots

Jordan River Forum

Far from weakening the student voice, the explicit separation of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization from the IU Student Association should strengthen the overall student position by making a clear distinction between constituencies with very different roles, goals and needs ("IUSA represents everyone," Feb. 25).

Dissent

IU is in a unique position among colleges and universities. IU President Myles Brand announced 13 months ago a plan called "Academics First" that would place new emphasis on making education the focus of IU and other schools across the country. The plan is a reasonable solution to a fundamental problem at institutions of higher education -- that athletics often overshadows academics.

Art tradition strong at IU

Arts Week -- featuring performances, lectures, displays and workshops held in various venues around Bloomington and on our campus -- clearly showed the strength of the arts in our campus community. What's just as impressive, however, is the range of activities that are available to us not just during a designated week, but all year round. Our role as a home for the arts is very much in keeping with our tradition as an arts and sciences institution. We celebrate that tradition proudly.

Just another vampire movie soundtrack

Strings and shadows:

Downtown property stirs controversy

The building that formally housed the ST Semiconductor factory sits on College Avenue, dilapidated and empty. Bloomington city representatives tried Monday to transfer ownership of the property from its current owner, Bloomington Investment Group, to a city-selected firm. The city wanted the firm to redevelop the Semicon site. Monroe County Circuit Judge Douglas Bridges, however, ruled to keep the Semicon site under its current ownership.